29-01-2020, 08:27 PM
Everything in this engine carries the engine number 27998, except..........the crankshaft!
If that's an engine number, it dates to spring of 1924.
So the engine was rebuilt sometime in the late twenties I guess (the car came off the road in the summer of 1931) to change the crankshaft, probably for a second hand one. Again, I wonder why? Did the original break? I had always assumed that crankshaft breakage was a (relatively) recent complaint, due to poor maintenance and aged materials but maybe it was already happening a few years after the cars were made......
However, all the rods carry the 27998 number, so they ran on the original crank and there are no scars inside the crankcase to show a break. The metaling looks to be original....But why else would anyone want to replace a crankshaft??
I spent hours and hours sorting out the big ends. Two rods had to be replaced, number 4 because it was tired of running with the cap on back to front and was worn out, plus number 2 because it was heavily shimmed, having been filed too much by the Bodger. Fortunately, I have a small stock of good 1 1/8" rods to choose replacement from but the scraping takes a long time.....
I guess this is an early crank as it doesn't have any relieved spots to bash the main bearings out of the crankcase
Anyhow, I have to settle down to cleaning this lot over the next few days and sorting out the block...
If that's an engine number, it dates to spring of 1924.
So the engine was rebuilt sometime in the late twenties I guess (the car came off the road in the summer of 1931) to change the crankshaft, probably for a second hand one. Again, I wonder why? Did the original break? I had always assumed that crankshaft breakage was a (relatively) recent complaint, due to poor maintenance and aged materials but maybe it was already happening a few years after the cars were made......
However, all the rods carry the 27998 number, so they ran on the original crank and there are no scars inside the crankcase to show a break. The metaling looks to be original....But why else would anyone want to replace a crankshaft??
I spent hours and hours sorting out the big ends. Two rods had to be replaced, number 4 because it was tired of running with the cap on back to front and was worn out, plus number 2 because it was heavily shimmed, having been filed too much by the Bodger. Fortunately, I have a small stock of good 1 1/8" rods to choose replacement from but the scraping takes a long time.....
I guess this is an early crank as it doesn't have any relieved spots to bash the main bearings out of the crankcase
Anyhow, I have to settle down to cleaning this lot over the next few days and sorting out the block...